Prognosis
The worst prognosis is in those patients who arrive at hospital in a state of shock. Total mortality in treated patients (ingestion and wound) is around 33%.
Patients especially vulnerable are those with liver disease (especially cirrhosis and hepatitis) or immunocompromised states (cancer, bone marrow suppression, HIV, diabetes, etc.). With these cases, V. vulnificus usually enters the bloodstream where it may cause fever and chills, septic shock (with sharply decreased blood pressure), and blistering skin lesions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), about half of those who contract blood infections die.
Vibrio vulnificus infections also disproportionately affect males; 85% of those who develop endotoxic shock from the bacteria are male. Females who have had an oophorectomy experienced increased mortality rates, as estrogen has been shown experimentally to have a protective effect against V. vulnificus.
Read more about this topic: Vibrio Vulnificus